Taren Guy's #LLYHtour hits Chicago (Event Recap)

Popular YouTuber Taren Guy (Taren916) rolled through the Windy City last week for the Luv and Learn Your Hair Tour, sponsored by Motions. While I was unable to attend the event myself, my always fabulous friend Cathy of the blog Sexy and the Chi, went out and rubbed elbows with Chicago's natural hair community in my place. Below is her recap of the event!

Taren Guy (black dress, center) and Cathy (far right)

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of hitting up the Chicago stop of the Luv + Learn Your Hair Tour sponsored by Motions and hosted by Taren Guy. I've been to numerous hair shows so I was curious about what this one would bring to the table.  Also, although I don't subscribe to Taren Guy's YouTube channel, I've seen her videos and find her a likable hair celebrity, so I was curious to see how that translated in real life.

The event took place at the Palladium (formerly known as Excalibur) in downtown and consisted of a live presentation with stylist Jennifer-Rose and a panel discussion with Himay10nence (of Natural Hair Girls Make Me Sick fame) and Chicago bloggers Ms Vaughn and Meechy Monroe (known as The Monroe Sisters).  There was also a pre and post presentation cocktail hour and plenty of time to mix and mingle. 

With more and more black women going natural, these hair shows are becoming commonplace, but I feel that they offer very little to keep long-term naturals engaged.  Most of them start off with what I call Natural 101 where they talk about big chopping, moisturizing, sealing and growing hair. The subject matter always ventures into topics that deal with the deep-seated issues that we black women have with our hair and ourselves.  This hair show stuck to the established script by having natural hair bloggers, but I appreciated that they brought in a hair stylist who could offer advice about different types of black hair and not just what has worked for her.  Most of the women in attendance had beautiful natural hair, so in my opinion we could have skipped the Natural 101 portion.

The biggest draw of the night was the host Taren Guy. When she came out on the stage for the first time, the crowd roared with applause and it nearly brought her to tears.  Taren is definitely a fab chick that connects well with her audience.  I figured she would have a bigger role in the panel discussion, but in this situation she mostly played the role of the host. 

For her part, she was trying to start a dialogue in order to get us to realize that we need to embrace our hair and it’s beauty, but I don’t know if many got that message.  Although I love Taren as a personality, I’ve always felt a slight disconnect with her on a natural hair level.  I guess I’ve also viewed her as someone who prefers her hair straight, which is fine.  Also, I tend to gravitate to women who have 4A hair like myself.  I definitely came away from this event with a style crush on Ms Vaughn and I will start following Jennifer-Rose on Twitter. 

 Did any of you attend?  Let me know your thoughts! 

- Cathy

Follow Cathy on Twitter 

@CurlyNikki in Chicago Tomorrow!!

Chicago naturals - - CurlyNikki.com founder and natural hair favorite Nikki Walton, will be hosting her meetup tomorrow, October 20th from 2p-5p @ Japonais. Space filled up within 18 hours of her posting the event on her site... we're quite an anxious bunch, aren't we! lol...

Remember the hashtag for the night will be #curlynikkimotions on twitter... so keep things social and post tons of pics and event recaps!

Please feel free to grab me and say hello if you see me there... looking forward to seeing all of the lovely curls. Let's show folks how Chicago ladies do it up!

@CurlyNikki Chicago Meet-Up

Chicago naturals - - get your hair ready because Curly Nikki is finally gracing the Windy City with her presence! CurlyNikki.com founder and natural hair favorite Nikki Walton, will be hosting the meetup on Saturday, October 20th from 2p-5p @ Japonais. Space is limited so hurry up and get your RSVP in today by clicking here.

Attendees will be treated to live demos from Motions stylist Ursula Stephen, natural hair product samples, tips and educational info compliments of Motions, and complimentary Motions cocktails for the first 200 people. Hors d'oeuvres will be available along with a cash bar.

Keeping things social, the hashtag for the night will be #curlynikkimotions on twitter!

@LovinMyTextures "Beautiful Textures" Product Launch (Chicago)

Last week I attended the @LovinMyTextures #BeautifulHair product launch for the "Beautiful Textures" line. The event was promoted as an "evening of coils, curls, & cocktails"... and it was just that.

How I ended up at the event is actually an interesting story - - one of my girlfriends (and co-workers) was originally scheduled to be a hair model, but couldn't make it so she recommended me. I was surprised to get the call @ 3p asking if I could be a hair model for the event which began at 6p. Super excited for the opportunity to network with fellow natural hair enthusiasts, I was able to pull some strings at work and get to the event by 5p.

Since this whole thing was so last minute my hair wasn't necessarily "Clean & Fresh" like they wanted (I had just worked out lol...), but fab hairstylist Kimberly Walker (@KimmyGotSoul) was able to work some magic and salvage my hair.

So, it's clear that by no means am I a model nor do I have a model body - - so I was slightly, umm... what's the word - - hesitant to rock the size medium tank with the company name for the event. I have a 36DDD rack and was like, umm.. this logo is about to be all kinds of stretched out lol. But you know what, I sucked it up, rocked the tank with a smile, and was thrilled to put my normal clothes back on to get some decent photos lol.

Tank top aside, I had a wonderful time at the event being introduced to the new product line catered to mixed texture hair (curly, wavy, kinky-coily, frizzy), along with seeing a bunch of familiar (and some new) faces. I walked away with a gift bag with a few products to try:

DJ Niena Drake 

1. Rapid Repair Deep Conditioner
2. Tangle Taming Leave-In Conditioner
3. Curly to Straight Flat Iron Silkener
4. Curl Control Defining Pudding

First thoughts? I did get the opportunity to try the Curly to Straight Flat Iron Silkener when I was blowing out my hair - - and this stuff was pretty good! It's an oil so you have to be sure to start off with a smaller amount and gradually increase, but it left my hair amazingly smooth and soft. It can feel like the natural hair market is flooded with new products every day, but I'm genuinely excited to try the rest of the products.

 Vlogger @MsVaughnTV 

Blogger and Vlogger @MeechyMonroe (MsVaughnTV's sister)

Blogger and Stylist @TheSassyPeach

Blogger @TheManeSource

Hair Stylist @KimmyGotSoul

#EDENTressTalk Event Recap



Saturday night I headed to the "Treasure our Tresses" event hosted by EDEN Body Works in the South Loop. It felt great to be back in my old stomping ground... though I don't consider anything South of Cermak the real South Loop lol... but I digress.

Before the event I debated what to do with my hair. In hindsight I should have probably rocked a twist out, but I really wanted to have straight hair (after dealing with a shrunken fro the night before), so I worked a little magic with my curlformers and voila! My hair was super cute and ready to go. Of course it wouldn't be my life if my hair didn't sweat out halfway through the event lol... but I did manage to snap a hot before pic lol... (see left). 



Sexyandthechi, Meghan, YngSuburbanMom, and Me

I must always capture the way I start a night off because I sweat SO much and am sure to ruin a style. The plus of all this? I was in a room surrounded by women with natural hair so EVERYONE could relate!!! I still explained my glisten (i.e. sweaty situation that had me feeling like a cross between a grease ball and an oil slick lol), but as my hair got bigger and bigger, I didn't feel too embarrased.

I got to the event a little before 730p, meeting up with 2 of my co-workers (Meghan & fellow blogger Young Suburban Mom) as well as one of my bff's Sexyandthechi! For some reason my arms have been bugging me out in pics lately. No clue what to do with them lol...  please excuse my awkward, dead stiff arm pose lol...



Although The Mane Source and Natural Chica were hosting, the room was full of recognizable faces from the web. Bloggers and Vloggers like Afrobella, sisters MeechyMonroe and MsVaughnTV, and In Her Shoes were in attendance - - but I nearly lost my mind when I saw my hair inspiration Michi Chassagne!!!!

  

Michi and I

 A few weeks ago I posted a photo of Michi and her fabulous hair as my "hair inspiration" du jour. When I saw her in person I had a bit of a fan moment because it was cool to see someone I liked virtually in person. The icing on the cake? Her personality is out of this world! She's so friendly and personable. I was a sweat box by the time we took our pic, so please excuse my glisten! lol... damn, it was hot in there.

I'm big on first impressions and believe that a person's energy either works with mine or it doesn't... she was a home run! Both of her girlfriends at the event with her were darling as well. So awesome to meet folks and have them be fab in person.

The best part of the event? Getting a "bloggers bag" containing the entire line of products!!! Score. I used the oil as soon as I got home and I must say I'm already loving it. It's giving Carol's Daughter "Lisa's Hair Elixir" a run for its money. That oil is amazeballs.

After the event we headed to Devon Seafood Grill for their happy hour, only to find out they don't do it Saturday night lol. Still, we ordered food, drinks, and gabbed about everything ladies do! It was a nice night...

Did you attend the #EDENTressTalk event? Have you tried EDEN Body Works products before?



Treasure our Tresses - Tomorrow Night (11/5)

The time is nearly here! Tomorrow night EDEN BodyWorks will be partnering with popular hair bloggers The Mane Source and Natural Chica to bring “Treasure Our Tresses” to Chicago.

The event will feature an evening of hair education, EDEN BodyWorks products, appetizers, and the opportunity to mingle with blogging favs The Mane Source and Natural Chica.

Tickets are SOLD OUT so I hope you were one of the lucky ladies able to purchase yours.

I'll be at the event, probably rocking a twist-out (or my latest obsession - - curlformers) and a red lip! If you see me there please say hello!!! Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow night.

Chicago Naturals: Treasure our Tresses Event 11/5 @ 6p

Chicago Naturals - - have you been waiting for a national event to head our way? EDEN BodyWorks is answering the call by partnering with popular hair bloggers The Mane Source and Natural Chica to bring us “Treasure Our Tresses.”

The event will take place November 5th and feature an evening of hair education, EDEN BodyWorks products, appetizers, and the opportunity to mingle with blogging favs The Mane Source and Natural Chica. 

Tickets are $10 (click here to purchase) and include an EDEN BodyWorks gift bag.

For any ladies looking to win some tickets to this event, Chicago Beauty Blogger "The Sassy Peach" is giving away 2 tickets on her blog! The contest is open through 10/28, so click here for your chance to win.